Summer treats to find around Salem as the weather heats up

Em Chan, Salem Statesman Journal
·3 min read
Elote from Elote Veloz. The seasonal summer food is steamed corn cob coated in mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chili and lime.
Elote from Elote Veloz. The seasonal summer food is steamed corn cob coated in mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chili and lime.

Summer is in full swing in the Mid-Valley. With the hot weather comes cravings for sweet treats and handheld foods. You can find sweet and savory snacks to beat the heat in and outside Salem.

Elote Veloz

Elote Veloz is open for the summer, offering elote and esquite in northeast Salem. Elote is a corn on the cob coated with mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chili powder and lime. Esquite is the same as elote but served in a cup.

The food stand is open from late spring into early fall, depending on the weather. It's mostly known for its elote and esquite, but you can also order raspados (shaved ice), tostilocos (chips topped with Japanese-style peanuts, cuernitos, cucumbers and Valentina hot sauce), cut fruit and more.

Elote Veloz is located in northeast Salem and only open seasonally. It offers elote, esquite and other handheld Mexican street foods.
Elote Veloz is located in northeast Salem and only open seasonally. It offers elote, esquite and other handheld Mexican street foods.

The food stand is located on a gravel lot with about four parking spaces. The busiest hours are during evening commuting, from the traffic of Sunnyview Road NE. For more info, check out its Instagram page, @elote_veloz.

Hours: noon to 8 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday

Address: 3025 Sunnyview Road NE

The Curbside Italian Kitchen

Housemade gelato from The Curbside Italian Kitchen in Silverton. Flavors include pistachio, stracciatella, chocolate, hazelnut and more.
Housemade gelato from The Curbside Italian Kitchen in Silverton. Flavors include pistachio, stracciatella, chocolate, hazelnut and more.

The Curbside Italian Kitchen in Silverton offers housemade gelato, using ingredients imported from Italy. Gelato is distinctly not ice cream, as the milk content is much lower and it is churned at a slower rate, making for a smoother (and faster melting) product.

Owners Pietro Sangiorgi and Giulia Burato began offering gelato in March. Flavors include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, pistachio, stracciatella (milk flavor gelato with chocolate ribbons) and for a limited time, hazelnut. There is also one dairy-free sorbet flavor, lemon, available.

Hours: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday

Address: 115 N Water St., Silverton

Paleteria Y Neveria El Paisanito

Lime popsicle from Paleteria Y Neveria El Paisanito in Woodburn.
Lime popsicle from Paleteria Y Neveria El Paisanito in Woodburn.

Paleteria Y Neveria El Paisanito is located in Woodburn and offers paletas (Mexican ice pops), ice cream, aguas frescas, mangonadas, milkshakes, raspados and Mexican street food. The paleteria makes its ice pops, both water and cream-based, in-house, which makes it one of the only ones in the Mid-Valley. The desserts shop is only open from spring to late fall.

You can also get esquite, tostilocos, chicharron preparados and more if you're not in the mood for something sweet.

For more from the paleteria, check out the Facebook and Instagram page, @paleteriaelpaisanito.

Hours: 11 a.m. - 8:30 p.m., daily

Address: 429 N Front St., Woodburn

Tacos La Familia

L.A. street-style hot dog from Tacos La Familia in Turner.
L.A. street-style hot dog from Tacos La Familia in Turner.

Tacos La Familia is a Mexican food truck in Turner offering tacos, tortas, sopes, asada fries and a special hot dog: the L.A. street style.

The food truck has been parked in its spot since November, but the hot weather is just right for a hot dog. The hot dog is loaded with grilled onions, diced tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, green onion, mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. The addition of the fresh toppings makes the hot dog refreshing, while the grilled onions add extra flavor to the beef hot dog.

Tacos La Familia is a Mexican food truck in Turner, which has been in the lot of Storm Coffee Co. and Winding Creek Ranch Mercantile since November.
Tacos La Familia is a Mexican food truck in Turner, which has been in the lot of Storm Coffee Co. and Winding Creek Ranch Mercantile since November.

To keep up with updates, check out the Facebook page.

Hours: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday

Address: 7235 Third St. SE, Turner

Dreamies Creamery

Dreamies Creamery offers ice cream made from sheep's milk. Pictured is peanut butter dream, which is a peanut butter ice cream base mixed with butterfinger bits and chocolate chunks in a waffle cone.
Dreamies Creamery offers ice cream made from sheep's milk. Pictured is peanut butter dream, which is a peanut butter ice cream base mixed with butterfinger bits and chocolate chunks in a waffle cone.

Dreamies Creamery is not just any ice cream shop. They offer sheep's milk ice cream, which is lactose-free and has a subtly milder texture than traditional dairy ice cream.

The shop offers ice cream in a cone or cup, sundaes, milkshakes and pints to-go. There are classic flavors like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry jam, coffee, cookies and cream plus fun flavors like mango habanero.

To get more info on the ice cream selection or order online, check out the website, dreamiescreamery.com, Facebook and Instagram page, @dreamiescreamery.

Painted Pony Coffee & Cream

Ice cream from Painted Pony Coffee and Cream, which replaced Independence Ice Cream Shop earlier this year.
Ice cream from Painted Pony Coffee and Cream, which replaced Independence Ice Cream Shop earlier this year.

Painted Pony Coffee and Cream offers ice cream, coffee and a combination of the two with its affogato.

The shop was previously the Independence Ice Cream Shop, but its legacy is not lost as it still offers ice cream. It is not housemade, but a combination of Umpqua, Cascade Glacier and Tillamook ice cream is available.

For more on the shop, check out its website, paintedponycc.com, and Instagram page, @paintedponycoffeeandcream.

Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @catchuptoemily.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Summer treats to get around Salem while the weather is good

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